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Climate Change’s Unequal Burden: Why Do Low-Income Communities Bear the Brunt?
Source: Earth.Org
Date: 9 Oct 2023
Climate change’s impact is unevenly felt, with low-income communities and developing countries suffering most. Pakistan’s 2022 devastating floods exemplify this disparity, driven by climate change despite Pakistan contributing only 1% of global greenhouse gases. The wealthy, who emit the most GHGs, reside in developed countries, while the poorest emit the least but suffer the most. Effects on low-income communities include loss of livelihoods, food and water scarcity, air pollution, and climate-induced displacement. To reduce disparity, inclusive measures, increased climate finance, just mitigation and adaptation, and food and water security are vital. Climate justice is essential for a fair and sustainable future.
Asia Pacific environment ministers commit to action to tackle shared planetary challenges
Source: UNEP
Date: 6 Oct 2023
At the Fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, leaders from 30 Member States in the region pledged coordinated action to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. This effort aims to restore planetary balance and safeguard people. The conference took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 4-5 October 2023. Asian and Pacific nations are facing increasing impacts from a warming planet, including extreme weather events and rising sea levels. The Forum’s outcomes will inform discussions at the UN Environment Assembly’s sixth session, focused on tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, to be held from 26 February to 1 March 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. Japan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India presented draft resolutions on addressing the triple planetary crisis and promoting sustainable development, climate justice, snowmelt in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and sustainable lifestyles, respectively. The event included discussions by youth representatives addressing key environmental challenges in the region.
UNICEF says weather-related disasters have displaced millions of children
Source: Reuters
Date: 7 Oct 2023
Between 2016 and 2021, 43.1 million children in 44 countries faced internal displacement due to weather-related disasters, warns UNICEF. These displacements, mainly caused by floods and storms, are expected to rise as climate change intensifies. East Asia and the Pacific saw the highest number of such child displacements, followed by South Asia, with countries like China and the Philippines among the most affected. UNICEF’s report, “Children Displaced in a Changing Climate,” projects that, in the next 30 years, nearly 96 million children will be displaced by river floods alone, emphasizing the urgent need for action to protect children from climate-driven displacement.
